MIAMI - Members of Kentucky's Air National Guard are scheduled to help flood-ravaged parts of Ecuador by transporting 162 clean-up kits in a C-130 Hercules March 6 from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., to Manta, Ecuador.
The clean-up kits will be delivered to Ecuadorian disaster relief officials charged with cleaning items contaminated by mud, sewage, mold and mildew as current flooding in the country's western and central provinces recedes.
The kits, donated by officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, contain five-gallon buckets with lids, two sets of respirators, two sets of coveralls, two sets of heavy nitrile gloves, two pairs of goggles, two boot covers, a scrub brush and non-hazardous germicidal wipes.
In addition to the clean-up kits, the C-130 crew will also transport 9,000 alcohol pads, 2,250 bio-hazard waste bags and 9,000 disposable vinyl gloves for use during flood recovery.
Since January, heavy rains across western and central Ecuador have led to severe flooding in 13 of the country's provinces. The flooding has killed at least 19 people and impacted more than 300,000 citizens.
Under the operational direction of U.S. Southern Command officials, the American assistance to ongoing flood recovery efforts in Ecuador began in February after Ecuadorian officials declared a national emergency and formally requested assistance from the international community to overcome the impact of persistent rains and flooding near the country's Pacific coast.
On Feb. 21, U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador Linda Jewell issued a disaster declaration paving the way for U.S. government assistance to the South American nation.
To date, U.S. Southern Command officials have donated $45,000 in relief commodities to assist communities affected by flooding in Ecuador. The commodities, consisting of mosquito nets, sanitary supplies and bedding, were purchased in Ecuador by the command's military group, assigned to the U.S. embassy in Quito, and later delivered to Ecuadorian disaster relief officials for distribution to affected communities.